While laboratory apparatus exists for the promotion of growth of bacterial colonies, or other similar colonies of cultures, such apparatus is not adaptable for the cloning of mammalian cells due to the differences in the growth characteristics of such colonies. Bacterial colonies, for example, develop of grow upon the surface of the nutritional substrate disposed within a Petri dish, while mammalian cells develop or grow upon the bottom surface of the Petri dish. In accordance with conventional laboratory techniques, particular colonies are to be isolated, both in the growth or development of bacterial cultures and mammalian cultures, however, due to the aforenoted differences in the growth characteristics of such colonies, the means employed within the laboratory apparatus for isolating the colonies are necessarily different. Consequently, the apparatus employed for isolating and promoting the development of bacterial cultures cannot be utilized for isolating and developing mammalian cultures.
The means employed within conventional laboratory apparatus for isolating the culture colonies usually takes the form of specifically configured or structured grids, tubular cylinders, and the like, operatively associated with the Petri dishes. Laboratory experience has also demonstrated the fact that the aforenoted bacterial and mammalian colonies develop upon the nutritive material and the Petri dish surface, respectively, in predetermined arrays or patterns. Bacterial colonies, for example, tend to develop upon all regions of the nutritive material while mammalian cultures tend to develop only upon a predetermined region or sector of the Petri dish. Consequently, in order to efficiently promote the development of the mammalian colonies, the laboratory apparatus must comprise specifically arranged isolated means. Conventionally arranged isolation devices cannot in fact be employed due to the fact that such means would not properly isolate the colonies. The grid concentration, for example, is insufficient within the development sector, and is excessive and unnecessary within the remaining portions of the apparatus.